This book is a highly recommendable intervention to the study of religious phenomena in the ancient world that will make the reader reflect critically on their theoretical and methodological stances. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review * An important contribution to the study of ancient religion ... we can be grateful for the enrichment of our understanding of the cult of Mithras provided here. * Journal of Cognitive Historiography * This book makes a provocative proposal: that cognitive science can help us understand not only our own minds, but also those of our ancestors. This avant-garde idea will seem radical to some and self-evident to others, but will surely be intriguing to all, and makes for a fascinating reading. * Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, USA * Promising young scholar Olympia Panagiotidou has joined forces with pioneer Roger Beck in applying a neurocognitive approach to the Mithraist worldview. The result is a highly competent and innovative analysis of the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of Mithraist initiates. This book is a refreshing combination of religious studies, cognitive science, and classical scholarship that simultaneously challenges and improves these fields of inquiry. * Armin W. Geertz, Professor of the History of Religions, Aarhus University, Denmark * Panagiotidou and Beck have produced an erudite and insightful work, combining the latest methods and theories of the cognitive study of religion and cognitive historiography in order to account for the lived experience of the Mithras adherents. Considering the scarcity of our sources, Panagiotidou and Beck masterfully examine this obscure but fascinating ancient cult. A must-read for everyone interested in ancient religions and cults. * Nickolas P. Roubekas, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Austria *
